Dark chocolate is more popular than ever as more people discover the health benefits this tasty treat has to offer. Chocolate is an excellent source of flavonoids – phytonutrients that lower blood pressure and help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Could there be a more delicious way to nurture a healthy heart? Now that chocolate has taken on “medicinal” status, the selection of flavored dark chocolate has expanded greatly as candy manufacturers race to come up with unique flavor combinations to titillate American taste buds.

Now, when you visit your local chocolate store, you don’t have to settle for conventional flavors such as caramel, raspberry, mint, and coconut.  Instead, you can enjoy dark chocolates flavored with curry, ginger, wasabi, lavender, or chai to really amuse and astonish your taste buds. You may think these flavored dark chocolates are a little unconventional, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. A new trend in flavored dark chocolate taking off in New Zealand is meat flavored dark chocolate.

According to an article published in Food Navigator, meat flavored dark chocolate is particularly popular among men. To make “meaty” chocolate, one chocolate maker combines dried meat with dark chocolate to create, believe it or not, venison chocolate truffles. This combination of sweet and salty is a taste that some people find inviting – particularly the male species.

A chocolate maker in Chicago has jumped on board the meat-chocolate bandwagon by marketing smoked bacon chocolate. These chocolate candy bars which go by the name of Mo’s Bacon Bar were offered in London department stores and sold out in less than two days. The secret? Combining two of America’s favorite flavors – bacon and chocolate – into one neat package.  There’s even a salami flavored chocolate that’s earning rave reviews among some chocoholics. Could hamburger or salami flavored dark chocolate be far behind?

If you’re a chocolate lover who’s also a do-it-yourselfer, you can make your own flavored dark chocolate at home using oil-based flavorings available at many gourmet and craft stores. These oils are specially designed to be compatible with melted chocolate and come in a variety of flavors – although you won’t find meat flavors as of yet. Some interesting ones that can be purchased online include licorice, banana, watermelon, as well as the more traditional ones like strawberry, mint, and coconut.  It’s important to use flavorings that are oil based to keep the chocolate from seizing – a process that causes it to become coarse and grainy.

Who would have thought the world of chocolate could be so diverse? Next time you go to your candy store, don’t settle for plain chocolate, treat yourself to a little flavored dark chocolate instead. Better yet? Make your own.